Elmhurst Faced Pressure On Scoreboard: Mayor

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst aldermen on Tuesday voted to allow York High School to install a new video scoreboard, with the mayor referring to "angst" over the issue.

In May, the city began its review of the school's scoreboard proposal.

"I know there's been a lot of angst and pressure. I'm sure we've all received a lot of calls," Mayor Scott Levin said at the City Council meeting.

Levin said the city's Zoning and Planning Commission, which examines such proposals, does "a very fine job."

"They are immune from political pressures," the mayor said. "They don't have to get threatened with getting voted out at the next election. They're just supposed to do their job."

Last month, Elmhurst School District 205 board member Courtenae Trautmann expressed frustration with the delays in approval. The issue, she said, was "tangled in endless discussions and a constant back-and-forth that has led us nowhere."

At Tuesday's council meeting, Alderwoman Marti Deuter said the city followed the same process with the scoreboard as it does with other projects, whether residential, commercial or public.

The council's vote was unanimous, fast-tracking its approval. Alderman Guido Nardini was absent.

In March, the school board approved installing a $259,000, 15-by-25-foot video board.

Over the summer, the school took down the old scoreboard. Because of the delays, though, it was reinstalled. (Patch has filed a public records request on the costs of reinstallation.)

York had hoped to get the scoreboard up in time for its first home game, which was last Friday. It could take weeks before it is up and running.

In its decision, the City Council imposed a few conditions, including:

• The school must meet with the city 90 days after installation to review lighting and screening.
• The city and school should work with the installer to ensure proper placement and to determine if screening from Spring Road would be beneficial. If so, city staff has the discretion to require screening.
• The scoreboard cannot be used as a strobe light.
• Limits were placed on how sponsorships can be displayed.